Sveti Stefan (
Montenegrin and
Serbian: Свети Стефан, ;
lit. "
Saint Stephen
Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...
") is a town in
Budva Municipality
Budva Municipality is one of the municipalities of Montenegro. The administrative center is Town of Budva. The municipality is located at the Adriatic coast in southwestern Montenegro.
Location and tourism
Budva municipality is located on the Bud ...
, on the Adriatic coast of
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
, approximately southeast of
Budva
Budva ( cnr, Будва, or ) is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea. It has 19,218 inhabitants, and it is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budva riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, kn ...
.
The town is known for the Aman Sveti Stefan resort, a 5-star franchise of the international group of
Aman Resorts
Aman Resorts is the trading entity of Aman Group Sarl, a Swiss-headquartered multinational hospitality company. Founded by Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha in 1988, the company operates 34 properties in 20 countries. Vladislav Doronin is the chi ...
.
Sveti Stefan consists of a small island now connected to the mainland by a narrow
tombolo
A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian ', meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ''ayre'' (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island becom ...
and the mainland part, where most ot the residents live
Geography
The island has a coast line in the central part of Montenegro Adriatic coast line. It is situated to the south of Budva between
Pržno and
Petrovac na Moru. The pink sandy beaches of Sveti Stefan, Miločer Beach, and Queen's Beach are part of the coastline. The island encompasses an area of . (0.0124 km²)
History
The earliest record of Sveti Stefan is as the capital of the
Paštrovići
The Paštrovići (, ; it, Pastrouichi, Pastrouicchi) is a historical tribe and region in the Montenegrin Littoral. Paštrovići stretches from the southernmost part of the Bay of Kotor, from the cape of Zavala to Spič. Its historical capital ...
community, which became a protectorate of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
in 1423, having been independent since the twelfth century. The Paštrovići accepted Venetian sovereignty because they were fearful of attack from the
Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...
. They retained considerable autonomy and paid no tribute to Venice, in return for ceasing piracy against Venetian ships.
According to a legend recounted by
Stjepan Mitrov Ljubiša
Stjepan (modernist: Stefan) Mitrov Ljubiša ( sr-cyr, Стјепан Митров Љубиша; 29 February 1824 – 11 November 1878), was a Serbian and Montenegrin writer and politician. He is famous for his unique short stories, generally ra ...
, the town fortification was funded after Paštrovići looted Turkish ships moored in front of
Jaz during
Barbarossa
Barbarossa, a name meaning "red beard" in Italian, primarily refers to:
* Frederick Barbarossa (1122–1190), Holy Roman Emperor
* Hayreddin Barbarossa (c. 1478–1546), Ottoman admiral
* Operation Barbarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Un ...
's
siege of Kotor in 1539. The town was razed shortly after, during the
Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War. After continuous pleas by Paštrovići, the Venetian Republic agreed to rebuild it in the 16th century.
In the 15th century, the fortified village was built to defend against the Turks and became a haven for pirates of the
Adriatic.
Initially, the island with its fortress had twelve families. In the 1800s, a village was established on the island with a population of about 400 people. Villa Miločer was built between 1934 and 1936 as the summer residence of Queen
Marija Karađorđević
Maria of Yugoslavia (born Princess Maria of Romania; 6 January 1900 – 22 June 1961), known in Serbian as Marija Karađorđević ( sr-cyr, Марија Карађорђевић), was Queen of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later Queen of Yugo ...
(1900–1961) of the
Karađorđević family of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, which was refurbished as part of the Aman Sveti Stefan resorts that opened in 2008–2009.
[ The villa, surrounded by 800 olive trees, is laid out over a plot.]
The population of the island declined in the first half of the twentieth century, as residents left to join the armed forces or to move overseas. From 400 inhabitants in the nineteenth century, there were just 20 remaining by 1954. The Yugoslav government converted it into a luxury hotel and moved the remaining inhabitants to the mainland, and the island village became an exclusive resort frequented by high-profile elites of the world.
One of the four churches belonging to Praskvica Monastery on Sveti Stefan was turned into a casino by the government. The resort was visited by many celebrities, including Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
, Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
, Princess Margaret, Carlo Ponti
Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 9 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cinema ...
, Ingemar Stenmark
Jan Ingemar Stenmark (; born 18 March 1956) is a Swedish former World Cup alpine ski racer. He is regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish athletes ever, and as the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time. He competed fo ...
, and Kirk Douglas. It was described as "a '70s Adriatic playground on a hilly peninsula that's barely connected to the mainland". It was also a venue for political conferences and an occasional chess venue, attracting top-class players such as Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer
Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 1 ...
. However, the breakup of Yugoslavia
The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
in the 1990s brought a decline to the resort.
The Government of Montenegro
The Government of Montenegro ( cnr, Vlada Crne Gore, Влада Црне Горе) is the executive branch of state authority in Montenegro. It is headed by the prime minister. It consists of the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers as we ...
proposed to recreate the old charm of the island, inviting international bids for a revitalization project. The contract was awarded to Aman Resorts in 2007, and the refurbished resort was completed in 2009.[ The Aman Sveti Stefan has a 30-year lease.] On 13 July 2010 Montenegrin Statehood Day, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fr ...
gave a concert at the resort to mark the Golden Jubilee of the hotel.[.] The hotel won the Hotel of the Year award from Gallivanter's Guide in 2010.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 364.
Population by ethnicity in 2011:
* 127 Montenegrins
Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro.
Genetics
Accordi ...
* 206 Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
* 15 Undeclared
* 16 Others
Aman Sveti Stefan
Aman Sveti Stefan (formerly Sveti Stefan Hotel) is a hotel resort in the town of Sveti Stefan, on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
. The resort includes the islet of Sveti Stefan and part of the mainland, where the Villa Miločer () part of the resort is located. The hotel is a 5-star franchise hotel of the international group of Aman Resorts
Aman Resorts is the trading entity of Aman Group Sarl, a Swiss-headquartered multinational hospitality company. Founded by Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha in 1988, the company operates 34 properties in 20 countries. Vladislav Doronin is the chi ...
, completed in 2009 and operating under a 30 year lease. The hotel has been closed since early 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and remains closed with no announced reopening date. In communication to guests and media, Aman has indicated security concerns and conflicts with government entities as reasons for continued closure.
Facilities
The Aman Sveti Stefan resort has 58 guest rooms, cottages, and suites, including 8 suites that are part of the Villa Miločer. The Villa Miločer was built between 1934 and 1936 as the summer residence of Queen Marija Karađorđević (1900–1961). Out of the eight suites of Villa Miločer, two are Queen Marija Suites forming an annex structure. The main dining of the resort on the island of Sveti Stefan is The Piazza, an open-air square in the heart of the island's village which includes the ''Taverna'', ''Enoteca'', ''Pasticceria'', an Antipasti Bar, and a Cigar Room.
References
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
Tourist attractions in Montenegro
Islands of Montenegro
Budva
Aman Resorts